Paper Mario: The Prince of Colors
by Espeonage Espeon
Summary: Vacations never begin well for the Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Why, then, should his vacation to the Spectra Kingdom begin with anything less than the kidnapping of princesses and the destruction of color throughout the entirety of the realm?
1. Intro, Part I

**A/N: **I've had this idea for a while now, and I'm finally getting around to doing something with it. There are very few good Paper Mario fanfics out there, and I hope some day my own will join their ranks... And without further ado...

I give to you...

**Paper Mario: The Prince of Colors.**

* * *

_Ahem! Today..._

_I am going to tell you the story of the Prince of Colors..._

_It is said that in a land far off from our own and a time far in the past, a magnificent kingdom ruled._

_The kingdom was prosperous. The people were happy. No one wanted for anything._

_But..._

_The surrounding kingdoms wanted it for their own._

_Wars leveled the kingdoms, and the land was left desolate._

_The people, deprived of hope, lost their color. _

_The land, feeding off the energy of the people, lost its color._

_The king prayed to the stars for a solution, and the prayers were answered._

"_Here are seven Essences of Color,"_ _said the eldest of the Star Spirits. _

"_Each Essence must be given to one of the Seven Hopeful, the only people who have not lost hope," said the second of the Star Spirits._

"_Only when the Seven Hopeful are found can the Chromatic Oath be fulfilled," said the third._

"_The Seven will be led by the Prince of Colors, the most vibrant soul of the seven," said the fourth._

"_The Seven must each hold one Essence. The Prince of Colors will stand in the center of the lands, and the other six equidistant around him," said the fifth._

"_They must raise the Essences high, and the combined power of Essence and Hope will restore color to the world," said the sixth._

"_The kingdom will become vibrant once again," said the last of the Star Spirits._

_And so the king became the one to seek the Seven Hopeful. _

_Seven years passed and the king had only found six of the Seven... _

_But the last could not be found._

_It was not until his queen gave birth that the search came to an end._

_The newly born prince was the Prince of Colors._

_They waited until the Prince was old enough to hold the Essence on his own..._

_And partook in the Chromatic Oath._

_Color returned to the kingdom! The people rejoiced!_

"_We must never forget the Oath!"_

_And so, every twenty-five years, the Festival of Color is held to remember the Chromatic Oath._

_The Seven Hopeful are chosen, and the ceremony upheld._

_The real Essences, deemed too valuable to use in the Festival of Color, were given to the original Seven Hopeful._

_The Hopeful took them to the corners of the land, and the Essences fell victim to time._

_The story of the Prince of Colors ends with a warning._

_If the kingdom loses hope, and the color disappears, the Prince of Colors must lead the Seven Hopeful and renew the Chromatic Oath._

_Never in a thousand years has the kingdom lost hope._

_Until now..._

* * *

"Gwahaha," said the voice of the eternal enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom. "I've finally arrived."

Bowser, King of the Koopas, romped through the plains, trampling flowers and scaring off the local folks. Kammy Koopa, his right-hand koopa, traveled with him, following on her broomstick.

"Princess Peach, your king has arrived!" Bowser shouted at the top of his lungs. He waited several minutes in silence, the crickets too afraid to even chirp.

"Peach! Where are you?" he yelled. He searched the area, finding nothing of interest.

"Oh, I get it. You're in awe of my awesomeness. Well, you can come out now. Jig's up, Princess," he said loudly. He waited for several seconds in impatience.

"Where are you?!" Bowser roared to the sky in frustration. "Gah! I get word that the princess is coming here on vacation, and she doesn't even have the decency to arrive on time!"

He closed his eyes and stomped his feet. "Where are they, Kammy? You said she'd be here."

"Your kingliness," said the magikoopa. "Maybe their flight was delayed..."

"DELAYED?! What could be more important than me, Kammy? I show up completely ready to kidnap the princess – on time, might I add – and she has the nerve to delay her arrival?!"

"Well, it's probably not her fault," reasoned Kammy.

"Silence!" Bowser roared, breathing a torrent of flames at Kammy. She fell to the ground, oofing loudly.

"Your grumpiness, what if it's Mario's fault?" rasped the crispy magikoopa.

"Mario this, Mario that... I'm so sick of Mario! I wish I could beat Mario once and for all! Maybe then, Princess Peach would like me..."

"That sounds lovely, your lovesickliness," Kammy said.

"Gah, I hate Mario! I hate him, I hate him, Ihatehim!" roared Bowser.

"Your grouchiness, be careful! Who knows what one of your tantrums could do to this peaceful prairie?"

"IhatehimIhatehimIhatehimIHATEHIM!" Bowser gave one final stomp, causing the earth to shake. "Kammy, what's going on?"

"That would be an earthquake, your ignorantness," his right-hand koopa said. "One you created, might I add."

"Gah, it's Mario's fault," Bowser said grumpily as the earth continued to quake. A fissure opened, and the ground stopped moving. "It's over?"

"It appears so, your gratefulness. Be more careful next time."

"I don't do careful," scoffed Bowser. He wandered over to the edge of the chasm and looked into it.

"Clearly not, your bulkiness," mumbled Kammy. "I do wish you'd be more cautious."

"Hey, Kammy. Get your butt over here," Bowser commanded, completely disregarding her last remark.

"What is it, your impatientness?" she asked.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at a shiny black stone.

"Could be onyx."

"Onyx? I like the sound of that! Let me at it," he roared before lunging into the fissure.

Bowser landed loudly at the bottom of the pit. Looking up, he spotted the stone stuck in the wall. He jumped towards it pathetically, failing miserably in his endeavor.

"How does Mario do this? Kammy, give me a boost!"

"Yes, your pitifulness," she said, firing a golden beam of light at him. His legs glowed, and he tried jumping again, only to fly out of the pit.

"Whoa! Too much, Kammy, too much!"

"Sorry, your flightiness!" she yelled up to him.

Bowser flailed about as he reached the apex of the jump. "Hey, I can see a plane on the horizon. Maybe Peach is finally coming! Wait, aren't I..."

"Kammy, help!"

The magikoopa flew over to him on a newly-summoned broomstick, trying frantically to slow his fall. "I'm sorry, your heaviness. Brace yourself for impact."

A cloud of dust rose up out of the crevice. Bowser stood, miraculously unharmed.

"Hey, Kammy. Kammy?"

"Under you, your brawniness," she struggled to say.

"Well, peel yourself up off the ground. I think the onyx is loose-oof!" Bowser paused in his speech and fell to the ground.

"Your quietness? What is it?" asked the flattened magikoopa.

"Ooh, my head..."

Kammy peeled herself up and rushed over to Bowser's side. "Your kingliness, are you alright?"

"Stupid rock hit me on the head!" he roared, breathing fire about the crevice. "I hate everything! But it is rather shiny. Kammy, what do you think this is worth?"

She plucked the stone from his grasp and looked it over. "Probably a fortune, even if it is a little dusty."

"Gwahaha, that's easily fixed. Gimme that," Bowser commanded, grabbing the onyx from the magikoopa. He rubbed the stone against her robe, causing it to emit an ethereal light.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, your fearfulness. Something bad," said Kammy.

"Something bad is most correct, my pitiable fellow magician! Thou deserveth a prize, methinks," said a voice.

"'Methinks'?" scoffed Bowser. "Who does this guy think he is?"

A deep chortling sounded from the stone before the light solidified into a monochromatic figure cloaked in black.

"I am the glorious Count Chrome. Who art thou, turtle, to be rescuing a magician of my caliber?" asked the figure.

"I am Bowser, businessman of legend! Fear my accounting!" roared Bowser.

"Your confusingness, I think that stone messed up your head," Kammy said, stifling a laugh.

"Well, Bowser, businessman of legend, what dost thou desire most?" Count Chrome asked with a chortle.

"Oh, you're one of those wish-granting magicians! I wanna trounce Mario! I want Princess Peach to like me!" Bowser yelled.

"I knoweth not these people of whom thou speaketh. Instead of those pathetic desires, I shall granteth thee a most wonderful reward." The figure spread his arms, darkness filling the crevice.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Thou lacketh beauty, businessman of legend; thus, I hath deemed it most applicable to granteth thee some of my beauty," Count Chrome said.

Light returned to the chasm slowly, and Bowser found his color gone awry.

"What did you do to me?!" he demanded of the magician.

"I gaveth thee some of mine own beauty. Thou shouldst be thanking me for thy gift," said Count Chrome.

"Do you know how long I spend waxing my shell to a glossy green perfection?"

"Methinks thou dost protesteth too much."

"Give me back my color!" Bowser yelled.

"Nay, methinks thou shalt forevermore be deprived of the lackluster experience that is color. I am the epitome of beauty, mortal, and I felt it applicable to granteth thee some of my beauty. Dost thou spurn mine offering?"

"Spurn this, weakling!" Bowser yelled before spewing a massive fireball at the magician, who simply flicked it into nothingness.

"Your bleakfulness! This magician is powerful," said Kammy.

"Oh, what's this? I had almost forgotten about thee, fellow magician," Count Chrome said.

"Oh dear."

"Thou calleth that beast thy master? He is not worthy of the praise of a magician. Come and join me, magikoopa. I command it!"

The figure gestured toward the magikoopa. She soon found her color drained and her allegiance shifted.

"Count Chrome, I follow you."

"Kammy! You fiend! She's the only one of my troop I almost don't hate!" claimed Bowser. "Give her back!"

"Thou wanteth thy minion returned to thee? Very well, I shalt return her to thee. 'Kammy', I command thee to 'return' to thy previous master." The figure chortled loudly, watching as the magikoopa smote her previous king.

"Kammy, why?"

"I follow the strongest, Bowser."

"And I am the strongest, fool. Come, Kammy. We shalt spread my beauty across the land and bringeth forth a new age of gray..."

* * *

**Paper Mario: The Prince of Colors**

_Loading the save file. Do not touch the SD card or power off the console._

_The save file has been loaded._

_Starting a new game in File 1._


	2. Intro, Part II

"Hey," said a voice. "Hey, Mario, wake up!"

Mario jumped out of his seat, wondering how he had managed to fall asleep in the first place.

"What's going on?" he asked. He struggled to wake up, barely managing to say those three words.

"Didn't you hear any of what I said?"

Mario turned to the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. He bit his lip as she stared at him expectantly.

"Um..."

"You're such a man. I bet you were dreaming about the food in Spectra, weren't you?" Princess Peach asked, hands on her hips.

"Heh, yeah. Sorry, Peach. What were you saying?" Mario prompted while rubbing the back of his neck. His mind was still on the food, however. He's heard wonders spoken of the cuisine of Spectra.

"Apology accepted! Anyways, I have the entire vacation planned out. First, we're going to Valorem City to meet with the royal family. I've been corresponding with the princess for years, now, and I want to meet her. After that, her entire family will be taking us on a guided tour of Spectra! Isn't that exciting?! A tour of the kingdom given by the family of the king! Ooh, we're so lucky!" Peach exclaimed, eyes pinched shut and her voice on the verge of squealing.

"Well, you _are_ a princess, Peach. It's only fitting that you'd receive such treatment," Mario said.

"Anyways, I don't really know what they have planned for the tour, but I hope we'll visit Cloud Overlook. Oh, it's said that when two people look down on the land of Spectra together from the top of the mountain, an eternal bond will be formed. Isn't that marvelous, Mario?"

"That's marvelous, Peach," he agreed.

"And the Snow Dome! Oh, I've always dreamed of going skiing! And in an indoor ski park, too. I really hope the royal family will take us there," said Peach wistfully.

"If you mention it, I'm sure they will," Mario responded.

"Of course. Oh, and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you, Luigi," the princess said, looking over at Mario's younger brother who was lounging in his seat.

"Well, I'm glad someone hasn't," he mumbled under his breath. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and arranged his chair into a more upright position.

"Yup! I've arranged for the royal family to skip the tour of the Whispering Woods. I know you dislike those kinds of areas."

"Thanks, Princess! That means a lot to me!" Luigi exclaimed, obviously happy. He'd heard nothing but horror stories about that place.

"And Toadsworth..."

"Say no more, Princess. I only wish for you to stay with Master Mario and Master Luigi. They'll keep you safe."

Peach scoffed. "Oh, phooey, Toadsworth. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"You say that now, but things always go wrong on these vacations. Master Mario might be framed, or you might be sucked into a dream. By boogity, you might even be kidnapped again!" the elderly steward yelled. "Er, no offense to you, Master Mario."

The plumber in question looked offended momentarily before relaxing his gaze and glancing out the window.

"Oh, please, Toadsworth. Bowser won't bother us, this time. We checked up on him before leaving, remember? He's still in his castle," Peach said. "It's not like he can bother us from across the ocean."

The old toad grumbled quietly before acquiescing. "Oh, alright. Just stay with Master Mario at all times, Princess."

"Say, Peach, when do you suppose we'll land?" Mario asked. "We've been on the plane for quite a while now."

"We should be there shortly," Peach responded. She put a hand on her chin and stared at the plumber thoughtfully before continuing. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Mario."

Mario returned her thoughtful glance. "What do you mean?"

"Well, one of the first things any royal family does when receiving another royal is hold a banquet," Peach said. "It's simple royal etiquette. Anyways, I've heard that the castle chef is one of the best cooks in the entire world."

Mario's eyes grew wide at the thought of the delicacies he'd be tasting once they landed.

"But that's after we get to the castle," Peach added as an afterthought, causing Mario to snap out of his stupor.

"Attention, passengers," said a voice over the intercom. "This is your captain speaking. Please buckle your seatbelts and remain seated until we land. We are nearing Valorem City. Thank you, and have a nice day."

Peach squealed delightfully as she buckled her seatbelt. She fidgeted in her seat, unable to bear the wait.

"Isn't this exciting, Mario? I'm about to meet my penpal!"

* * *

As the sun reached its zenith in the sky, the pink plane landed on the airstrip. The instant the wheels screeched to a halt, the door opened and the princess jumped out.

"Valorem City. Finally, we've arrived," she said.

Mario, Luigi, and Toadsworth jumped out after her, looking disoriented. They shook their heads in a futile attempt to recover their bearings as Peach looked about.

"Peach! Over here," cried a feminine voice. Princess Peach whirled about excitedly, waving to the family of four waiting at the edge of the airstrip. The four waved back, a small pink-capped toad waving back most vigorously.

"Princess Brite! It's so good to meet you in person," Peach said, prancing over delicately to the royal family. She bent over and hugged the pink toad.

"You too! Welcome to Spectra! How was the flight?" Princess Brite asked, leading Peach off the airstrip by the hand.

The largest of the toads shook his head and laughed at his daughter's exploits. The deep voice of the king was fatherly, and Mario knew him for a great king.

"Heh, those two will get along great." The king laughed. "Now, then. Where are the famous Mario Brothers?"

Luigi jumped in surprise before dragging Mario over to the family of toads. Toadsworth toddled after them. "I'm Luigi, sir, and this is my brother, Mario. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Luigi knelt down before the king.

"No need to kneel, Luigi. It's an honor meeting the legendary defenders of the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach spoke quite highly of you two in her letters. Especially you, Mario," the king said.

"Heh, Princess Peach always over exaggerates our exploits, King Edward. Most of the time, all we really do is face off against an overgrown turtle with a king complex. Her life is never in danger from him, though," Mario explained. "He likes her too much for that."

"So I gathered," King Edward said. "Anyways, I never fully introduced my family. I am King Edward Hughes. This is my wife, Queen Lumina Hughes."

The queen nodded her head at the duo. Her silver-spotted cap matched her husband's gold, though everyone knew the two were members of the royal family from their stature alone. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Masters Mario and Luigi."

At that, the king motioned to the last member of his family, their son. The child was a curiosity amongst toads. Instead of the typical white with colored spots found on toads, the prince's cap was colored a deep regal violet with white stars. The prince waved at the plumbers.

"That's my son," said King Edward. "Prince Darwin. He's recently been researching the... curiosities... known as star bites."

"Father, I've told you time and time again that the term is star _bits_, though they are, in fact, edible," the prince said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. It's true you've been to space, right?"

"Now Darwin, I do not think these fine gentlemen want to discuss your hobby," said the queen. She turned to the plumbers, shaking her head. "I must apologize for my son. We do not really approve of his fascination with space. It just is not right for a boy of his age to be interested in such... imaginative past times."

"It's quite alright," Mario said, laughing. "I actually don't mind discussing those sort of things."

"See, mother? He doesn't mind," Prince Darwin said with his arms crossed.

"Nevertheless, it can wait," said the king. "I would introduce you to our daughter, but she ran off with your princess the instant you landed."

Toadsworth looked startled for a moment before moving to rush after the princess. "Terribly sorry, old beans, but I must be after the princess."

"Toadsworth, it's been a long time," said the king. "Still as panicky as ever, I see."

"Quite right, King Edward. If you will please excuse me, I must see to the safety of my ward," the elderly toad said, waddling off.

"Now that the introductions are over, I think we should all try to find the princesses. Knowing our daughter, she is taking Peach all over Valorem City right now," Queen Lumina said before sighing. "That girl..."

"Um, I don't mean to pry," said Luigi. "But is it safe for the princesses to walk around without supervision?"

Prince Darwin laughed at Luigi's suggestion. The king and queen exchanged knowing looks with each other as the prince's laughter died down enough to speak. "My sister is loved by the entire kingdom. There isn't a soul here who would harm their beloved princess."

"That's right," said the king. "Everybody would be extremely forlorn if anything happened to her."

"But nothing is going to happen to her," said the queen. "Everybody loves her."

"You know, I bet Brite and Princess Peach are on their way to the town square for the Festival of Color," said the king. "It should be starting soon. Come, Mario and Luigi. You'll love the Festival of Color."

* * *

Mario was astounded by the vibrancy of the city. Every single building had paint dashed about it, and the people were running around wearing throw-away clothes and wielding buckets of paint. The children had made a game of this paint-flinging and were playing it with the adults. Paint was flying, but none of it got much higher up than the tops of the skyscrapers.

The only people not too caught up in the festivities were the window washers, who, rather than wash windows, had their duties reassigned to the many large television screens set up all around the city for use in the Festival of Color. They were all turned off at the moment, but the king explained that when the time for the Festival to start came, he'd be able to broadcast the event throughout the entire city.

"Hey, Mario! Guess what!" shouted Princess Peach. She ran up to him, her hair in a ponytail and paint splattered across her normally pink dress. "I've been chosen to be one of the Seven Hopeful in the ceremonies! Isn't that great?!"

Mario waited as she hugged him awkwardly, getting paint all over his clothes. "That's great, Peach."

"Yeah! Princess Brite said that we're all going to be in it! Isn't that wonderful?" Peach squealed.

"That's wonderful, Princess," said Luigi.

"Yeah! With the four of us, and the four of them, there are enough people to take place in the entire ceremony," Peach said.

"Yes," said the king. "It's almost as if we planned to do something special this time around."

"You planned this?" asked Peach. "Oh, thank you! This vacation is going to be wonderful!"

* * *

The entire plaza was silent as the king walked up the steps to the dais. Every movement he made was broadcast across the entire city during the festival, and Mario felt the full force of intimidation. He'd be up there soon, with everyone in Valorem City watching him.

"I'm not sure I can do this, Peach," he whispered to the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"You'll do fine, Mario. I believe you can do it," she encouraged.

"Citizens of Valorem City. Today is a special day," declared the king. The city erupted into whoops, whistles, and excited clapping, and the king waited for it to die down before continuing. "Today is the day of the Festival of Color!"

"Normally, one of my family would select seven of you to partake in the ceremony, but this year is special. Today marks the thousandth year anniversary of the original Chromatic Oath. As such, instead of choosing seven lucky citizens of Spectra to be the Seven Hopeful, we're doing something a little differently."

"Today, four visitors have arrived from the Mushroom Kingdom, and we here at Spectra want them to feel welcomed. So we're going to give them a welcome they won't soon forget!" shouted King Edward, sending the crowd into another uproar of cheers and hollers.

"So let's get down to what you all came here to see! My wife, Queen Lumina, please come join me up on the stage."

The queen, holding onto a ruby shaped like a teardrop, walked up the steps slowly.

"Lumina, do you swear to use the power of the Essence to restore hope and renew the colors of the realm?" asked the king.

"I do," she responded.

"Then stand here, on the red pedestal. My daughter, Princess Brite, will you please join us up here?"

The toad princess, completely drenched in paint, laughed and ran up the steps onto the stage, standing before her father. She reached into her pocket and withdrew an fiery orange teardrop-shaped gemstone.

"Brite, do you swear to use the power of the Essence to restore hope and renew the colors of the realm?"

"Oh, you bet, daddy!" she yelled, causing the crowd to burst into laughter and her father to chuckle.

"Then stand here on the orange pedestal," King Edward said, still chuckling while motioning to a spot beside his wife. "My son, Prince Darwin, please join us up here."

Prince Darwin strolled up the stairs, idly fingering a bright sunstone, also in the shape of a teardrop.

"Darwin, do you swear to use the power of the Essence to restore hope and renew the colors of the realm?"

"I do, father," the prince said, nodding his head.

"Very good. Then please stand here on the yellow pedestal." The king stopped speaking to glance at the four visitors. "It is my pleasure to call forth Luigi, the youngest of the Mario Brothers, to the stage. Please join me, Master Luigi."

The plumber skipped the steps, leaping immediately to the stage. He sniffled, his mustache twitching slightly as he pulled an emerald colored teardrop from his hat.

"Do you, Master Luigi, swear to use the power of the Essence to restore hope and renew the colors of the realm?"

"Oh, yeah!" said the plumber, hopping in place once.

"Then stand over here, on the green pedestal. Now then, Toadsworth, steward to the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. I request your presence on the stage, old friend."

The elderly toad hobbled up the steps. Pride at partaking in the ceremony was etched into his face. At the top of the steps, he hugged the king, tears in his eyes. The king held him firm, discreetly passing him a teardrop-shaped sapphire.

"Toadsworth, old friend, do you swear to use the power of the Essence to restore hope and renew the colors of the realm?"

"By boogity, I do swear to use the power of the Essence, old friend!" Toadsworth said, still weeping.

The king laughed, motioning toward a spot next to Luigi. "Then take your place on the blue pedestal."

The elderly toad continued to cry as he toddled over to the space indicated.

"We are graced with the presence of visiting royalty. Will Princess Peach, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, join me on the stand?"

The princess laughed, delighted to fulfill the king's request. In her hand she gripped an amethyst of the deepest purple.

"Do you, Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, swear to use the power of the Essence to restore hope and renew the colors of the realm?"

"Of course!" she yelled happily.

"Then please stand in the final spot in the outer circle, the violet pedestal," said the king. He moved to the edge of the dais, glancing directly at Mario.

"There is only one who I deem worthy of the title of the Prince of Colors and the Seventh Hopeful. It's quite a treat to welcome Mario, hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, to lead the Seven Hopeful in the Chromatic Oath!"

The city burst into sound yet again, just as loud for the plumber as for their princess. Mario calmly walked up the steps, stopping at the top to shake hands with the king. As their hands shook, the king passed the final stone, an indigo colored one, into his gloves.

"Master Mario, do you swear to lead the Seven Hopeful in the Chromatic Oath, in order for hope to spread and color to be renewed?"

"I do, your majesty," the plumber said, bowing his head.

"Then stand in the center of the dais, Prince of Colors, on the indigo pedestal."

As Mario stood on the center circle, the seven pedestals started to rise several feet into the air. He looked around, seeing the six faces glowing in happiness and pride around him.

"Just as the Seven Hopeful renewed color, may these seven renew hope in the land. Raise the Essences high, and may the Chromatic Oath be -" The king's voice was cut off from the speakers, and every television screen in the city fizzled and went blank. A horribly chilling laughter filled the city, causing mass shuddering and a sudden drop in temperature.

"Daddy, what's going on?" asked Princess Brite.

"Yea, cry to thy father, little girl," said the voice of a madman. A burst of light filled the city, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

Mario removed his arm from his eyes when he felt it safe, only to stare into the eyes of a face entirely black. The figure's features were outlined in white, and his cape fluttered in a non-existent wind. In one hand, he grasped an obsidian wand with a diamond tip, and in the other, he held a black cane. He wore a top hat on his head, and was dressed finely in a tuxedo of the darkest night.

"This Festival irks my senses so, vile peasants," said the figure. "Such a detestable thing to celebrate, color."

"Who are you to decry the beauties of color?" yelled Princess Brite.

"Yeah! You tell him, Brite!" Peach exclaimed.

"I am Count Chrome, Master of Beauty. I hast come to free thee, fools, for thy lives art most dull. Wouldst thou not be more suited for a world without the atrocity of color?" asked Count Chrome.

"No! Color is what makes this world perfect," declared Brite.

"Color is what makes this world beautiful," added Peach.

"Lies! For thy wicked tongues, thou shalt be banished from this land, foolish wenches!" The magician raised his wand and swung first towards the princess of Spectra, who screamed in pain and then vanished. As he raised it towards Peach, Mario jumped in his way.

"Thou darest interrupt me, knave? For that, thou shalt pay a price most severe. Begone, fool!"

The red-clad plumber had no time to dodge before a beam of black energy hit him solidly in the chest. As his feet left the ground, the magician's evil cackle engraved itself into his brain, and he blacked out.


	3. Prologue, Part I

**Prologue:**

** Painting the World Gray**

The first thing he noticed when he came to was the intense pain running throughout his body. He couldn't move, such was the pain.

The second thing he noticed was the dampness of the grass against his body. It was cold, wet, and miserable. Coupling that with the inability to move due to pain, Mario was very unhappy.

The third thing he noticed was a sharp prodding at his side. He grunted as the prodding continued.

"Hey, guy," came the voice. "Hey, are ya okay?"

Mario groaned again, clearly not alright.

"Dang! I gotta get ya inside. You're liable to catch sick out here!" yelled the voice. Mario heard footsteps scampering off, but several minutes later what sounded like a stampede came from that direction.

"Alright guys. On three."

He felt beings at his sides.

"One."

The beings at his sides were tense.

"Two."

They moved to pick him up.

"Three."

Mario was lofted into the air by the many beings. He cried out in pain, for the creatures carrying him lacked a gentle touch.

"Hold on, guy. We'll get ya patched up real good. Name's Goombert, by the way. I'm a goomba, in case it weren't obvious. Anyways, there'll be time for introductions later. Troop, move out!"

* * *

When he next came to, he felt significantly better. His body lacked the intense pain he had felt before, though his joints still ached slightly. He opened his eyes slowly.

Gray greeted him. For such a vibrant country as this, the grayscale cottage he found himself in was an oddity. In fact, he felt rather out-of-place as the only splash of color in a monochromatic world.

The door opened, and he turned to face it. A dark gray goomba waddled in, a delighted look upon his face as he spotted Mario sitting up.

"Oh, good. You're up," said the goomba.

"Yeah. You're Goombert?" he asked.

The goomba looked proud. "The one and only. You're talking to the leader of Goombase Spectra and the general of the Goomba Troop. I brought ya back from the outskirts. Our scouter claimed she saw red, but as angry as she always is, that ain't possible. Our color's been gone for a while now."

"Wait, what do you mean your color's gone?" Mario asked, startled.

"Yeah, the color's gone. After the Festival of Color, the king holed himself, his wife, and his son up in their castle. The next day, we woke up and were like this." Goombert motioned to all of himself. "It's a bit depressing. We've been like this for about a week."

"A week?! I can't have been out that long," Mario whispered.

"Fraid so," said the goomba. "If Goombrianne hadn't seen ya when she flew from Valorem, ya mighta died."

This startled the plumber. "Died?"

"Ya were in pretty rough shape when we found ya. You're very lucky, ya know," Goombert stated.

A sharp knocking at the door interrupted the goomba. "Knock, knock," said a feminine voice.

"Goombrianne, he's awake," said Goombert as he turned to the door.

Through the doorway flew a paragoomba sporting an aviator cap and goggles which rested on her cap. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and a tooth stuck from her mouth rather cutely. Her skin was a little lighter than the brown of normal goombas, but Mario was glad to see any amount of color in the grays of this world.

"Glad to see you up," said the paragoomba. "It's good to see another color around here. I was starting to think I was alone."

"Whatcha mean?" Goombert asked. "You're as gray as the rest of us."

"What're you talking about?" Mario responded. "She's not in grayscale."

"You mean that you can see my colors?" asked the paragoomba. "Yay!"

Mario rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. "I'm confused."

"Sorry. My name's Goombrianne," the paragoomba said. "Student of U Goom Flight Academy."

"Ya mean flunkey," snorted Goombert.

"Be quiet! I haven't flunked out yet," Goombrianne retorted. "I just need real world experience in order to graduate, is all."

"You're a goomba at heart, and will never amount to anything! Why are ya always trying?" asked Goombert.

"A girl can dream, you jerk!" she yelled, tears in her eyes. "I'm leaving."

She flew out the door, slamming it behind her. Goombert snorted.

"Good riddance."

Mario stared at the door for a few seconds before turning to the goomba. "That seemed a little harsh, don't you think?" he asked.

"I don't really care. We've got no room for her kind here," Goombert said, a leer in his eyes. "Now then, down to business. See, we don't do rescue missions for free. Your recovery cost us quite a fortune."

"I can pay you," Mario responded. "How much?"

"Well, normally, it'd cost about a hundred coins, but since ya filled up our only recovery room for a week, it'll cost ya five."

"Five hundred coins?! That's outrageous!"

"Sorry, bud, but we gotta pay the bills. Now, ya either pay or we're gonna have ourselves a problem," the goomba said.

"I don't have any money, let alone five hundred coins," explained the plumber.

"I see… Well, then we'll take our pay in blood! Goomba Troop, fall in!"

* * *

Goombrianne flew through the clouds, tears cold against her face. She felt alone, misunderstood. Normally, flying through the air was comforting, but not anymore. The previously beautiful land lamented in its loss of color, and to the flying creatures, nothing was more depressing.

She flew alone for several minutes before turning around to fly back.

"Goomba Troop, fall in!" cried the voice of Goombert.

"Oh, dear. That poor man. I bet he didn't have enough coins to pay the price," she said. "Not like anyone does."

The plumber's cries and assorted goomba screams sounded from the cabin.

"No! Goombert, you jerk! That's not fair!"

She dove toward the cabin as quickly as she could, hoping she wouldn't be too late. The door flew inwards with the force of her headbonk, hitting some random goomba and knocking him out.

"Goombert, this ends here!"

* * *

Mario laid on the ground, his body torn and battered. Goombert stood over him, gloating and mocking him.

"Not so high and mighty now, are ya?"

"Goombert, this ends here!" Goombrianne yelled, glaring at the gray goomba.

"Hey boys, lookie here! The flunkey's saying something. How terribly amusing," Goombert said, laughing.

The paragoomba flapped over to the downed plumber, giving him a mushroom. As the restorative properties of the mushroom flowed throughout his body, Goombrianne glared at the Goomba Troop's leader.

"I am not a flunkey!" she yelled.

Goombert and his troop cackled at her. "You're not a flunkey sure as I don't love money, girly. And I do so love money."

Mario stood, recovered from the beating. He stared at the troop.

"You guys are mean," he said.

"Hey boys, he's ready for another beating. Ready, boys?" asked Goombert, receiving numerous assents from the troop.

"Goombert, you're mine! I'm so sick of you!" Goombrianne yelled, flying towards the goomba in an aerial headbonk. He grunted before staring appraisingly.

"Not bad, flunkey, but ya gotta do better than that, girly. Boys, show her the problem with her kind," he commanded. Several goombas jumped towards her, fully intent on banging heads, but the only head they hit was that of Mario's hammer.

"It's been a while since I've used this," Mario commented, hitting another goomba away from Goombrianne. "Feels good."

"You. Hammerman. Don't think I've forgotten about ya. Ya still owe me money, guy," said Goombert.

"I don't owe you anything," Mario responded, jumping on the head of a goomba, adding another to the growing amount of knocked-out goombas. Goombrianne nodded her head before taking out yet another member of the Goomba Troop.

"Grrr… Boys, step up your efforts. We've almost got them!" Goombert yelled.

"I don't think so," Mario said. "I'm afraid your time is up, Goombert."

The plumber gave one final stomp to the top of the gray goomba's head, finally defeating the con artist.

"Goomba Troop, get him!" the goomba yelled.

"I don't think so, man. We never signed up for this!" one of the troop yelled back as the entire troop rushed out the door.

"Deserters!" Goombert yelled after them. "Cowards!"

"Better to live to see another day then die at the whims of a fool," one final goomba said. He turned to Mario. "We're cool, man. Right? No hard feelings?"

"We're good," Mario said. The goomba rushed out the door, leaving Goombert behind.

Goombert gulped as the plumber stared at him. Mario took a step towards him, causing him to rush out. He stopped at the door. "I'll remember this, ya hear me? You've not seen the last of me!"

Goombrianne turned to Mario as the door slammed shut. "Thanks for that! Say, aren't you Mario?"

"That's me, miss," Mario said, smiling politely.

"Amazing! Professor Goombella told us so much about you!" Goombrianne exclaimed.

"She's teaching now?" Mario asked, surprised. "Good for her."

"She's the best teacher ever! Anyways, I just had a thought," she said. She shuffled her feet, looking down at them. "So I have to get real world experience in order to get my degree. I was wondering if I could join you. After all, you're the great Super Mario. Surely you're not here in Spectra on vacation."

"Well, I was," Mario stated, laughing at the paragoomba's dumbfounded expression. He grew somber. "But I suspect that's no longer the case."

"What do you mean?" Goombrianne asked.

"Well, the world's lost its color, for starters," Mario said.

"Except you and me! We're still fully colored!" she exclaimed.

"Right, but other people couldn't see that, which means something bad has happened," he responded. "What's the foundation of life here in Spectra?"

"That's an easy one," Goombrainne said, laughing delightedly. "They practically _worship_ color here."

"Exactly. I think something went wrong during the Festival of Color," he claimed.

"Explain," the paragoomba said.

"Well, just as we were about to complete the ceremony, we were attacked by this strange monochromatic magician. He made Princess Brite disappear, and then hit me with some strange beam of energy!" Mario yelled.

"The ceremony means nothing," Goombrianne responded. "It's just to remember the original Chromatic Oath. It being interrupted is notable, true, but really, it wouldn't have this effect."

"I figured as much."

"But this strange magician… he might have something to do with it. If he truly caused Princess Brite to disappear, I fear for Spectra. Everyone loves her here. Without her, the people would lose hope for the future," she finished.

"So this is that magician's fault…" Mario said. "I hope he didn't harm the princess."

"Didn't you say he made her disappear?" Goombrianne asked, a confused look upon her face.

"Princess Peach. It wouldn't surprise me if he did something to her, too. She's always getting kidnapped," he said.

"Oh, dear…"

"Yeah."

The two sat in silence in the gray cottage. Finally, Goombrianne spoke up, unable to handle the stark silence.

"You know, you never answered my question," she said.

"Heh, sorry. Honestly, I'm so used to people just tagging along it never occurred to me that I have a choice. I'd be delighted to have you along!" Mario exclaimed.

**_Goombrianne has joined Mario's party!_**

_Goombrianne is a sweet paragoomba with a great deal of spunk. This feisty paragoomba will prove invaluable to Mario, as she can tell him about everything and anyone in Spectra. She gained top marks in her scouting class, so just say the word, and she'll fly up and scout the area. She'll report back with the number of foes and any distinguishing features of the immediate area. In battle, she can really hurt enemies using an aerial headbonk, and her tattling skills are top-notch._

"Yay! I won't let you down, I promise!"

Mario laughed at the practically bouncing paragoomba. "I don't doubt it."

"Yup! So, what now?" she asked.

"We find a way to restore color to Spectra," Mario said. "There has to be a way. If there's _anything_ I've learned over the years, it's that there is _always_ a counter-spell or way to circumvent magic. Always. No exceptions."

"I know. We learned that in school," Goombrianne said.

"Jeeze, just what kind of classes were you taking?" Mario asked, slightly surprised.

"Good ones. I had good teachers, but the best was Professor Goombella. She was my General Studies teacher. Very thorough and tough, but she loved me. Anyways, she said that every magical artifact and ceremony she'd come across had a counter-spell. She loved using the Crystal Stars as an example," Goombrianne responded.

"Heh, she would. Yeah, the Crystal Stars would be a great example. They worked not only as the keys to the Thousand Year Door, but also as a counter-spell to the Shadow Queen's magic. Of course, there's no need for them anymore, but I like to visit the caretakers of the stars, on occasion," Mario noted.

"Professor Goombella mentioned as much," the paragoomba said. "Anyways, you're thinking we need to find out the counter-spell, right?"

"Oh, yeah," said Mario as he nodded. "Definitely. Did any of your classes cover spontaneous loss of color?"

"Well, they did cover the procedure of dealing with a spontaneous split of night and day," she responded.

"Interesting, but not what we need." Mario raised an eyebrow, making a note to ask her about that in the future.

"Right, that's a story for another time," she said. "It's a really good story, though. Remind me to tell you about the Temple of the Sun, sometime."

"Alright, but right now, you need to focus. Was there anything about a loss of color in your studies?" A twinge of desperation was noticeable in the plumber's voice.

"Umm… Wait, yes! There was something! Almost a thousand years ago, this ancient kingdom was completely decimated by war, and the end result was a kingdom lacking color. The king at the time prayed, and discovered that the solution was the Chromatic Oath," the paragoomba said.

"Great! The Essences are back in Valorem. We can go get them now and fix this!" Mario exclaimed, moving towards the door of the gray cottage.

"Whoa there. It's not that simple. Those pretty gems used in the Festival of Color aren't the real Essences of Color. They're replicas," Goombrianne said.

Mario deflated instantly. "Of course they are. I'm guessing that the locations of the real ones aren't known?"

"Right."

"Of course they aren't. That would be too simple," he groaned.

"Perhaps we better seek out an expert," she replied. "I know of a retired professor who lives in a cottage just south-west of here. Maybe he can help us."

* * *

The travel to the professor's cottage took far less time than Mario expected. The path from Goombase Spectra to the cottage was short, peaceful, but extremely unsettling. The flowers that lined the sides of the road mourned in the bleak gray daylight of the sun. He noted the lack of enemies, and when asked, Goombrianne simply responded that the area is normally peaceful, though never gloomy.

The cottage itself was large. For living alone, the professor had a great deal of room. It had several wings, and a massive courtyard. The lawn of the courtyard was well-groomed, and the path well-kept. Dark gray hedges with light chrome berries lined the walkway, though none of the foliage stuck out over it.

A fountain bubbled just off the path. The hedges broke apart to allow access to the dirt path lined with stones, and an old bumpty sat on a bench facing the fountain.

The fountain's centerpiece was a statue of a regal toad lofting a massive paintbrush high in the air. From the toad's mouth came the stream of water and it splashed in a somewhat shallow pool. Several droplets of water gleamed off the bumpty's massive eyebrows as the penguin reclined on the bench.

Mario exchanged glances with Goombrianne. "Is that him?"

She squinted and, after a few seconds, nodded. "That's him."

The paragoomba flew over to the professor with Mario trailing behind on the ground.

"Professor Langley? My name's Goombrianne, and this is Mario. We were wondering what you could tell us about the Essences of Color," she said.

"See this fountain here? It was here long before I built my house," the old bumpty said after a moment.

"It's lovely," responded Mario. "But we'd like to know about the Essences of Color."

"That toad portrayed in the statue is the Nameless King. No one remembers his name, but all the stories agree that this king is the first after the Bleak War." The bumpty turned to face the duo. "Who are you to be seeking the Essences?"

"Adventurers seeking the return of color, professor," Mario replied. "We were wondering if you knew how to find the Essences."

"Seeking the return of color, eh?" The bumpty raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a daunting endeavor. What makes you two think you have what it takes?"

"I have experience in this sort of thing," said Mario. "She's helping out."

"Is that so? Well then, prove it. Break that statue. If you can break it into rubble, then I'll admit you're worthy of finding the Essences. However!" The bumpty stood, wings spread ominously. "This statue is famous for being unbreakable. Legend says that the statue holds the key to a great treasure, but all who have sought it met with failure. It is impossible to crack."

Mario waded into the water cautiously, remember the nibblers he'd faced in a previous adventure. When nothing attacked him, he moved more quickly to the statue. He glanced back at the old bumpty who watched with a glare worthy of an eagle and then held his hammer high. Whispering a quiet wish to the stars, he struck the statue with all his strength.

Everything shook. Mario fell backwards into the water, his hindquarters now soaked. The statue vibrated, glowing white, and crumbled into dust. A blast of water rocketed from the opening left behind by the statue's demolition, finally dying down into a trickle before stopping entirely. The water level dropped, and soon, the basin was dry.

The shaking stopped abruptly. The plumber stood and walked out of the basin, his clothes dripping.

"Satisfied?" he asked.

The elderly bumpty opened his mouth to respond when the fountain shook once more. A great banging sounded, and pieces of the basin descended to form a spiral staircase downward into the depths of the earth.

"Well, paint me blue and call me a codfish! You actually did it!" The bumpty was surprising happy for having his only fountain destroyed. "What did you say your name was, sonny?"

"It's Mario. You're Professor Langley?" the plumber asked.

"Yessiree. That's me. Good ole Professor Langley. Well, then. What do you say we follow those stairs?" the bumpty said, glancing at the staircase.

"Make good on your promise, first. Tell us how to find the Essences of Color," Mario demanded.

The bumpty waved a wing at him and started towards the steps. "I'm sure your questions will be answered shortly, sonny. I've a sneaking suspicious the answers to all our questions are down there."

The plumber nodded, following the professor to the staircase. Goombrianne flew after them, looking down into the dark pit. "Ugh. I hope I don't catch wing rot."

Mario moved his foot to the first step, and crystals which lined the walls of the staircase glimmered ethereally, giving light to the passage. Tentatively, he climbed downward into the depths of the earth.

After several minutes of climbing downward, the staircase stopped and opened into a massive cavern. A crystalline river flowed through it, and a cobblestone path bridged over the flowing water. The path led to an altar, on which rested a beautiful paintbrush.

"The Star Brush," gasped the professor. "So that's the treasure the statue held. Amazing!"

Professor Langley rushed over to it, inspecting it without touching it. "What an astounding find! Mario, come over here."

Mario, followed closely by Goombrianne, walked over to the altar. He grabbed the brush by the handle, prompting Langley to gasp in shock at his audacity.

The paintbrush was aptly named. The handle, upon being grabbed by the plumber, turned blue. A five-point star near the crimp of the bristles was raised from the surface of the handle. The star was painted yellow, and a singular black line was engraved from the center of the star to the point nearest the bristles. Seven slots sat empty on the crimp, and the golden bristles lacked paint on the end. After looking it over and finding nothing else, Mario returned his gaze to the altar, where he noticed a sheath-like strap, into which he slid the brush's handle and strapped to his back.

"You look like a hero, sonny," stated the retired professor. "Let's go inside my house and I'll answer your questions."


	4. Prologue, Part II

The inside of Professor Langley's cottage was no less grand than the outside. Lush chairs sat around a massive dining table, though Mario didn't understand the need for such grandeur. The old bumpty led the duo up a massive marble staircase and into a room dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge: the library.

It was a room devoted to learning. Each and every wall had bookcases, and there was not a blank spot to be seen. Every book had its place, as Mario soon found out. Professor Langley strolled over to one of the tables, motioning for Mario and Goombrianne to have a seat. They did so, pleasantly surprised at the comfort the chairs offered.

The bumpty walked to one of the bookcases after addressing an index and pulled off a massive tome. He struggled to carry it over to the table, but when Mario moved to help him with it, the professor glared and refused.

A cloud of dust rose when the tome flopped on the table. The pages were old, musty, and the scripts rather difficult to read. The penguin flipped the book open to a seemingly random page, but when Mario gazed upon the worn down ink, he understood, for upon the page, an illustration of the Star Brush rested.

"This is what you now hold, Mario," said Professor Langley. "The Star Brush, tool of the Nameless King. The legends tell great stories of its power."

Goombrianne looked at the brush resting on the plumber's back. "It doesn't seem very powerful."

"Well, of course not! It's missing a vital component," the retired bumpty said, an irritated look on his face. "See those empty slots on the brush? That's where the Essences are stored."

Mario took the Star Brush off his back and set it on the table. "So what does it do now?"

"I'm getting there! Geeze, these young'uns are impatient," Professor Langley grumbled under his breath. "In its current state, the Star Brush is capable of pointing out the location of the Essences. I would've had you do it when you found it, but we were underground, and I was afraid the Star Brush would get confused."

"Professor, you talk about it like it's alive," Goombrianne noted. "But it's just a paintbrush, isn't it?"

"Absolutely not! Any device created by the Star Spirits is bound to have some level of consciousness!" the bumpty exclaimed.

"Right, sorry," she mumbled in response.

"Anyway, you see that star on the handle of the brush? Give that a spin, for me," the professor said.

Mario looked down at the brush before complying and spinning the star on the brush. When the star stopped spinning, the little black line pointed off to the right.

"Now, pick the Star Brush up and turn until the line is aligned with the tip of the brush," commanded Professor Langley.

Mario turned south-east, aligning the line and the bristles. The Star Brush glowed brilliantly, shocking both Mario and Goombrianne, though Professor Langley looked unsurprised.

"Ah, so that's where the first one lies," the professor said. "You're in luck! The first Essence should be relatively easy to obtain. Koopa Keep lies in that direction. It's a peaceful settlement of koopas that rests on a cliff overlooking the sea, so I doubt you two will have much trouble."

"Great!" exclaimed Goombrianne. "Then let's go!"

"Of course, you'll have to go through the Outskirts to get there," the professor added as an afterthought. "You have to go through the Outskirts to get much of anywhere, these days."

"The Outskirts shouldn't be too much of a problem," Goombrianne said. "Mario and I can handle it."

The professor gave them a strange look, but didn't give them anymore hassle as they stood to leave. Mario tipped his hat and, after returning the Star Brush to its place on his back, left the library. Goombrianne flew after him, not wanting to be left in the same room as the bumpty.

* * *

Mario looked south-east, a small structure far off in the distance. They had just left the cottage behind, and looked forward to the future. Goombrianne stood at his side, also glancing at the structure.

"That's Koopa Keep?" Mario asked.

"Yeah. And beyond that, the sea," she replied. "We better get moving. The Outskirts aren't a fun place to be when night falls."

The sun was directly overhead as they traveled, though Mario suspected it'd be far into the night when they'd arrive. Their travel was not slow, but nor was it fast. The two traveled in near silence, though occasionally Goombrianne would ask a question or two, and the plumber would respond.

The trip was mostly uneventful until shortly before dusk. The sun was almost touching the horizon behind them when some bushes on the side of the path rustled and a very strange looking goomba rushed out, mouth foaming and muttering gibberish. Its skin was a sickly chrome color, and Mario noticed that Goombrianne stayed her distance.

He would've been content to let the strange, deranged creature continue onward if it hadn't decided they looked delicious. It charged them, moving to jump into the air, but Mario beat it to the punch, landing on its head and stunning it momentarily.

"Goombrianne! What the heck is that thing?!" he shouted at the paragoomba.

"That's a chroomba. They started popping up the day after the color disappeared. We noticed that goombas from Goombase Spectra would vanish one day, and a chroomba would appear the next. They're evil creatures, though none too bright. Chroombas aren't much stronger than normal goombas, so you shouldn't have much trouble taking them out," she said, still keeping her distance. "They're kinda disgusting, though."

Mario was inclined to agree, as the creature's mouth continued to foam as it charged them again. It jumped into the air, headbonking the plumber. He grimaced and wiped the foam from his hat before stomping the chroomba and defeating it.

The chroomba glared at them and dashed back into the bushes.

"Um, Goombrainne?" Mario asked.

"Yeah, Mario?" she responded.

"You can scout, right?" She nodded in assent. "Will you?"

"Yeah, sure. Give me a second," she said before flying into the air. Several minutes passed as the plumber waited for her to return. Finally, she flew back down to him, eyes wide and panicky. "This is bad, Mario. Very, very bad."

"What is it?" he asked.

"There's an army up ahead! There's chroomba and parachroombas and spiked chroombas! And their leader is a magichroopa!" Goombrianne shuddered. "It's horrifying!"

"Well, why can't we go around?" he responded.

"They're guarding the pipe to Koopa Keep!" she yelled.

"Oh," he said. "That is a problem. And there's no alternative to fighting them?"

"Ki ki ki," chortled a voice. They turned and came face to face with a parachroomba. It blinked before flapping away towards the army.

"Oh no!" Goombrianne exclaimed.

Soon, the bushes started rustling again and the horde burst through, soon surrounding the two. The horde inched ever closer as Mario held his hammer at the ready. Just as the horde moved to attack, a voice halted them.

"Stop!" said the voice. The horde froze, and a path parted. An old hag dressed in chrome walked through, black scepter in hand and glaring. "I recognize that stache. If it isn't old Mario!

The plumber stared at the magichroopa, jumping in recognition. "Kammy! Where's Bowser?"

"That old fool is blubbering around in a pit somewhere. I follow a new master, now." She turned to the army. "Soldiers, this man will stop at nothing to restore color to this land! This goes against the wishes of Count Chrome! Let us show this fool the error of his ways!"

The army rushed at Mario and Goombrianne, each attack missing due to the massive number of enemies. Mario hammered his way over to Kammy and bonked her on the head.

"Ooh, you'll pay for that!" she yelled.

"Mario, that's Kammy Koopa, as I'm sure you're aware. She's now a magichroopa, which is far more formidable than a magikoopa. She'll try to take you out with a beam of darkness, and if she gets too injured, she'll conjure a broomstick and fly just out of reach. Mario, I don't know how she became leader of an army, but leader she is. If we don't take her out, she'll just keep calling in more troops to fight!" Goombrianne warned.

"Quite right, girly. You'd make a great addition to my army," Kammy called. "I think you don't want to follow Mario anymore, right?"

"Wrong!" yelled Goombrianne, hitting the magichroopa on the head with an aerial headbonk. "I'll never join you!"

Kammy cackled, waving her scepter and firing a beam of darkness at the paragoomba. "That's where you're wrong, girly."

The beam struck Goombrianne, and she cried out in pain.

"Goombrianne!" Mario screamed, moving to her side.

"Since when do you care about pathetic goombas, Mario?" Kammy cackled again.

"You'll pay for that!" he yelled, jumping on Kammy's back.

She grunted as her back cracked. "Ooh, my back. I'm not cut out for this." She waved her wand and jumped on the resulting broomstick. "Chroombas, go get them!"

Several chroombas ran forward from the horde, moving to attack Mario and Goombrianne. They flew through the air, foam frothing and trailing behind them. Just before they could strike, something struck each of them down.

"What?!" Kammy exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"Yo, Mario," called a voice. Mario turned, facing the gray goomba who had stayed behind to ask Mario if they were cool. "We've got these small fry. You get the crone."

"Crone!? Why you pathetic little goomba! Take this!" Kammy roared, firing a chrome beam at the goomba. It struck, much to no effect. Kammy stared, astounded. "Why aren't you infected? You should be following me, now!"

"Sorry, crone. I am loyal to King Bowser, alone! Mario, you got this! Don't worry about us," said the goomba. He was mobbed by several chroombas before roaring and multibonking several in a row. "This is why we are the elite!"

Mario turned back to face the magichroopa, who backed up slightly. "You're all mine," he said.

The plumber flew through the air, landing hard on Kammy's head. Her broom blinked as her concentration broke, and she fell to the ground with an oof. He continued jumping on her until she gave in.

"Enough!" she yelled. "We'll leave you alone… for now. Chroomba brigade, move out!"

The chroomba army rushed away from the pipe, leaving behind a victorious troop of goombas. Mario rushed to Goombrianne's side. She coughed weakly as Mario held her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't more useful," she whispered.

"You were very useful," he replied.

She coughed again. "This… I think this is Game Over for me."

"No! You're not dying on me now," Mario declared, forcing a mushroom into her mouth. She chewed and stood, fully recovered.

"Heh, sorry about that," she said, looking down at her feet. "I guess I'm not very strong… I should just leave…"

She moved to fly away, but Mario grabbed her in a hug. "You're not going anywhere," he said.

"But I'm weak! You saw that beam! I didn't stand a chance!" she cried, struggling to break free.

"Goombrianne, look at me," he commanded. She looked into his eyes with her own red-stained teary ones. "I would've been a goner if that beam had hit me. You're far stronger than I, friend."

"Mario…" She was silent for a moment, then hugged him back. "Thank you."

They heard a cough, and broke up their hug to face the Goomba Troop. "I hate to break up this little moment, but I wanted a word with you, Mario," said the lead goomba.

Mario followed the goomba. "What's up?"

"You treat her good, alright?" the goomba said. "She's a good girl. If I find out you've hurt her in any way…"

"Relax," Mario responded. "I've no intention of hurting her."

"Good. My name's Goombill," the goomba said. "I think I forgot to introduce myself before."

"Thanks for your help, Goombill," Mario said. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"Yeah, well… When you fix this, we're back to being enemies, ya hear?" Goombill said. "But until then, you've got the full support of the Goomba Troop. You just call us, and we'll come. We want a piece of this 'Count Creep' too."

Mario laughed, nodding his head. "Of course."

"Hey, Mario?" said Goombill after a moment. "You're a good guy."

With that, Goombill took the troop and left, leaving Mario alone with Goombrianne. She looked at the plumber and blushed before turning to the pipe.

"We should get going," she said, hopping down the pipe.

Mario, after giving one final glance around the Outskirts, followed, venturing onward to the unknown.


	5. A Brief Interlude

_**A Brief Interlude…**_

* * *

Princess Peach awoke and found herself in a strange place. The bleak chrome of the walls blended with the colors of the floor and ceiling, and not a speck of color was to be found. On one wall, two beds extended outward, the sheets black, the pillows white. In one corner of the room, a lavish couch rested with an old television sitting in front of it.

In another corner, the walls jetted out, forming a barrier around what the princess assumed was the bathroom. She was grateful for that, and figured that at least her captor had the decency to offer basic amenities.

In the third corner of the room was a lavish kitchen, completely with a fully stocked pantry and refrigerator, though even the food lacked color. The basic food groups were there, but the princess was wary of eating anything that lacked color.

The final corner held only a wardrobe and a changing screen. The princess walked over to it, opening the wardrobe wide. She was astonished to find dresses matching her exact style, albeit in only a marginally different shade of the monotonous gray the rest of the room was.

A door on the wall between the couch and the wardrobe opened and several gray hammer bros wandered in carrying a struggling Princess Brite. Her pink cap had faded to gray, and Peach looked down at herself, finding a disturbing lack of color on her being.

"Let go of me!" Brite screamed. The hammer bros dropped her on the floor and rushed out, locking the door behind them. The princess stood before dusting her dress off and running to the door. She banged on it, refusing to be quiet.

"Quit that!" yelled a voice from behind the door. "Count Chrome is being lenient with you, but if you keep that up, you'll regret it!"

"Let me out, you jerks!" she yelled.

The door opened, and a hammer bro stepped inside. He had an apologetic look on his face. "Look, princess. Count Chrome is willing to be nice. He made this whole room just for the two of you. He doesn't want to harm you, but if you keep that up, he'll have no choice," the hammer bro said. "Why can't you be more like the other princess?"

The toad princess froze and looked around the room. When she saw Peach, she rushed over and hugged her. "Oh, Peach!" she cried. "I've been so worried about you!"

"Where are we?" Peach responded. "Why are we here?"

The hammer bro moved to leave, stopping before opening the door. "I can't tell you where you are, or why you're here, but I can tell you that you're safe. Count Chrome has no intention of harming either of you. So long as you're good and don't disturb the peace, you'll be fine."

He opened the door and left, locking it behind him.

"Oooh, I hate this place! I've been here for a week and haven't done anything but sit around trying to escape!" Princess Brite said, stomping her foot. "Those guards are always breathing down my neck!"

"He seemed nice, though," Peach noted.

"Oh, Mallet is nice, yes, but he's the exception. The rest of the guards are nasty people," Brite said, grunting. "Half the time, they'd eat half my meal before letting me have it."

She looked around. "This place is far nicer, though. I wonder why they moved me here…"

"You've been here a week?" Peach asked. "The last thing I remember was the Festival of Color, and…" She gasped, covering her mouth with a barely gray glove. "Mario! Oh, I hope he's alright!"

"From what I've heard, he's alright. The guards were mumbling this morning about their boss being more grumpy than normal. Apparently, this magikoopa – well, sort of – came back this morning, complaining about some plumber and his paragoomba sidekick. Count Chrome was not very happy that she failed in stopping him. Word is, this Kammy Koopa –"

"Kammy?!" Peach interrupted.

"– has Count Chrome very unhappy," Brite finished.

"Why would Kammy join up with Count Chrome? I doubt Bowser was very happy about that," Peach said, slightly worried.

"I don't know, but she looked very sickly when I saw her. Chrome does not suit anyone well as a skin tone," Brite replied.

"Speaking of which, what's going on? Why is everything black and white?"

"I don't know…" Brite whispered.

"I only hope Mario can do something about it…"

* * *

The sun shone down on the resting Bowser. Sweat dripped down his face, his hair oily and slick. He was hungry, tired, and desperate to get out of this hole. He twitched before standing up.

"Gah, I hate this!" he roared, stomping his foot again and again. "It's been so long since I've been up top! I miss my castle…"

"Is someone there?" yelled a voice.

Bowser froze midstomp. "Heck yes! I'm down here! Get me out of here!"

A shadow covered him as the voice's owner looked down into the pit.

"Good golly, it's King Bowser! Troop, get over here!"

The Koopa King heard many hushed and excited whispers from the top of the crevice, seeing less and less sunlight as more of the things crowded around to look down.

"Alright, troop. Toss down the rope," said the voice.

Bowser grunted when a coil of rope hit him on the head.

"King Bowser, please grab hold of the rope. Normally, we'd pull someone up, but we don't have the strength to lift someone of your girth, so you'll have to climb it yourself," the voice said.

The Koopa King mumbled angrily as he started climbing. After several minutes of climbing, he finally reached the surface. He blinked, shielding the sun from his eyes as he looked at his saviors.

"Goombill?" Bowser asked.

"Greeting, King Bowser! General Goombill reporting for duty!" the goomba said, head held high.

"I need a status report, General," Bowser commanded. "What's going on? Why is everything so gray?"

"The entire continent is monochromatic, King Bowser. Every being here has lost their color," the goomba said. "And no one's doing anything to fix it. Well, except Mario."

"Gah, I hate Mario! What else?" Bowser demanded.

"There's been no sign of Princess Peach in a week, King Bowser. She simply disappeared during the Festival of Color when some strange magician attacked," Goombill stated.

"Count Chrome! That jerk stole my color from me! I've gotta get it back," Bowser growled. "General, what's the report on fixing it?"

"Our sources say that the only way to return color to Spectra is by using the Essences of Color, but Mario's already going after them," the general said.

"Then we need to go after them too," the koopa king stated. "Uh, any word on Kammy?"

"The turncoat? We just got out of a battle with her. With Mario's help, we defeated her and a bunch of other turncoats."

"So you tricked Mario into helping you?" Bowser chuckled, pleased with the apparent idiocy of the plumber. "Good work, General."

"Thank you, King Bowser," said Goombill. "We should bring you to the base for further debriefing."

"Sounds good to me," Bowser said. "Lead the way, General."

* * *

Luigi awoke, finding himself in an unfamiliar place. The floor was cold, wet, and none too comfortable. Toadsworth paced, a slight clanging sounding with each step the old toad took.

He looked around, spotting cast-iron bars in place of a wall, and several random toads chained to walls. Luigi was surprised to see that he alone was unchained, though he was trapped. Toadsworth stopped pacing to glance at the plumber.

"Master Luigi! I'm so glad you're awake, old chap," the steward to the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom said.

"Toadsworth. What's going on? Where are we?" Luigi questioned, hopping in place.

"I'm afraid we've been captured," the toad responded.

"Any sign of Peach?" the plumber asked.

"Nor Master Mario. We're trapped, I'm afraid," Toadsworth grumbled.

"At least I'm not bound, like you and the other toads are," Luigi said.

"The guards tried, but the bonds were too small for you. Count yourself lucky; they're not very comfortable."

Luigi nodded. He stood, stretching his arms and his legs as he walked about the giant cell. He inspected the grate for faults, but found none. There was a small crate in the corner, and the floor tile had been torn up, but the opening was far too small for the plumber.

He searched his pockets, finding that whoever captured them did not take his hammer away. Luigi nodded, content. That hammer was very useful in the past, and he knew it was the key to his escape.

"We'll just have to bide our time, Toadsworth. I'll get us out of here, don't you worry. The great Super Luigi is on the case!"

* * *

_**A/N: **This is the first and last time I'll say this: Review. I write fanfiction not only to make my readers happy, but to better my writing ability; therefore, nothing is as important to me as feedback. Whether you crush my soul with heart-wrenching criticism, or tell me exactly what I did that brought a smile to your face, I need it. Indeed, authors thrive on reviews. If you have questions to ask of me, I'll answer them, but only if you leave a signed review. But honestly, any and all criticism is welcome. I'm a big boy; I can take it.  
_

_- Espeon_


	6. Chapter 1, Part I

**Chapter One:**

** Playing for Keeps**

* * *

The pipe allowed Mario and Goombrianne to make excellent time. They arrived at Koopa Keep just as the sun set, filling the skies with various shades of gray. Mario sighed, knowing that this curse had turned one of the most beautiful sights in the world to one of the most depressing.

Goombrianne didn't say anything to Mario, lost in her thoughts. She flew up every so often to scout, but when she returned, she only shook her head and smiled, though she refused to look him in the eyes.

This behavior confused Mario, but he rolled with it. Certainly, the behavior of some of his past partners had been far more confusing. A certain badge enthusiast came to mind, and he shook his head. Those were unpleasant thoughts, the plumber reminded himself.

Mario only hoped Goombrianne would start talking to him again soon. He rather liked her chirpy attitude and her go-get-em demeanor.

Koopa Keep was massive up close. The walls of the fortress were firm, covered in gray moss, but still strong. Mario knew nothing save the apocalypse could destroy the fortress.

The gates were open at the moment, though he could see the koopa sentries moving to close them. He ran inside just as the gates started closing, and the intensity of ocean brine bombarded the travelers' noses.

"Cutting it kinda close there, guy," one of the koopas said.

"Sorry," apologized Mario. "We're simple travelers, looking for a place to stay. Where's the inn, sir?"

The koopa looked pleased. He stood up straight and pointed. "Just go down that road. You'll see it pretty soon."

"Thank you," Mario said.

He motioned for Goombrianne to follow, and they started walking down the worn, dirt road. One scrawny koopa stopped them partially down the path, asking if they had any coins to spare. Mario handed him a few, and the koopa smiled. "Thank you, sir. May the Star Spirits watch over you."

Goombrianne smiled, watching the exchange silently. "Mario, I…"

"What's up, Goombrianne? You've been really quiet. Is something the matter?" Mario asked, glad she finally spoke to him.

"Well… Oh, it's nothing. I'm sorry if I worried you," she said, laughing. She smiled at the plumber.

"Alright," Mario said.

They continued walking towards the inn in this manner, making small talk and laughing at jokes. The sun was far beneath the horizon when Mario noted the scarce number of koopas prowling the street.

"Goombrianne, why's this place so empty?" he asked finally.

She froze in place. "I… I don't know. This place should be booming right now, even if it is past sundown."

Mario eyed the boards covering the windows of each house they passed. "Something's not right, here."

She nodded, having to agree. "Let's get to the inn, quickly."

* * *

Once at the inn, they ordered a room and dinner from the innkeeper, who was all too happy to oblige. He seemed rather excited that someone had come into his inn. He rushed into the back room, hustling to prepare food for them.

Mario and Goombrianne sat at a table, alone. They glanced around at the empty building as they waited for food.

When the innkeeper came back, he set two motley and meager bowls of soup down. After inspecting the soup, Mario determined that it held little more sustenance than water.

"What's going on?" he asked of the innkeeper.

The koopa glanced down, shuffling his feet. "Well… Um… I hate to admit it, but that's all I could make with the rations I was given. I'm terribly sorry."

Goombrianne looked back and forth between the koopa and the soup before shaking her head and pushing the soup back to the innkeeper. "Take it. I can't eat your rations."

The koopa thanked them and sat down at the table. He practically dove into the soup, devouring it.

"Thanks! I was so hungry," the innkeeper said. "The name's Koopalone."

"I'm Mario, and this is Goombrianne," Mario said.

"The world famous Mario, in my humble inn?! I'm honored!" Koopalone glowed before growing somber. "But… what brings you here? Might you be here to save us?"

The travelers froze briefly. "Save you?" Mario questioned. "From what, exactly?"

"Hunger!" declared the koopa. "We've been cut off from our main food storage. You know that overwhelming stench of the ocean?"

"Isn't that normal?" Goombrianne asked.

"No! Well, sort of," admitted Koopalone. "But it's normally not that overpowering. A little over a week ago, Captain Koldo issued a State-of-Emergency declaration and said that our food supplies were to be rationed."

"Captain Koldo?" Mario asked.

"He's the keep's unofficial leader. He's been here for as long as anyone can remember. He knows everything about the town, you see, so there must be a reason behind his strange behavior," Koopalone said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Strange behavior?" questioned Goombrianne. "How do you mean?"

"Well, almost immediately after announcing the State-of-Emergency, the captain locked up the storage bunkers and shut himself up in his office. No one's seen him for over a week, and our rations are starting to run out."

"Why doesn't someone try talking to him?" the plumber inquired.

"They have." Koopalone sighed dejectedly. "Many times. Every attempt is met with failure. I hate to say it, but soon, the great Koopa Keep will fall to famine."

"But what about your fisherman? Surely they've been able to catch enough for you guys to survive," Goombrianne said.

"Fraid not. The fish supply ran out shortly after our food storage was locked up. Our fisherman can't catch anything," the koopa cried. "At this rate, our citizens will perish to hunger! Oh, woe betides us all!"

"Relax," said Mario, patting the koopa's shoulder. "We'll go talk to Captain Koldo. Right, Goombrianne?"

The paragoomba nodded. "Of course!"

Koopalone immediately stopped crying. "You will?! Great!"

"Where's the captain's office?" the plumber asked.

"Oh, you can't go right now," the innkeeper said. "The State-of-Emergency declaration comes with a curfew. I'm afraid you're stuck here until morning. First thing in the morning, though, I'll tell you exactly where you need to go. I'm sure you'll be able to change his mind. If the great Super Mario can't, then no one can!"

* * *

"So this is the captain's office? Looks kinda… old…" Goombrianne commented.

The duo stood in front of an old, worn down shack with a hastily painted sign with the words 'No admittance' written on it hung on the door. The roof looked as if it would leak, and the windows were boarded up haphazardly. Through the cracks between the boards, Mario was able to discern that the glass had shattered, and that someone was watching them from inside.

The plumber blew his nose into a handkerchief and proceeded to walk up to the door and knock on it. There was no reply for several seconds, then he knocked again.

"Go away! No one's home!" shouted a voice.

"Captain Koldo?" Mario asked.

"Who is this Captain Koldo you speak of? I'm just an empty house," said the voice.

Goombrianne exchanged a confused look with Mario before slamming herself into the door. "Captain Koldo, we've heard about the town's problem, and we think we can help. In return, we have one of our own we think you could help us with."

"Why would an empty house care about solving problems?" the voice asked.

"We think we can help," Mario said. "Please let us in to talk to you!"

"No one sees the wizard," grumbled the voice.

"See, we're looking for the Essence of Color, and we think-" Goombrianne was cut off as the door opened and she was hauled inside. Before he could move to retaliate, Mario found himself thrown to the ground and dragged inside the shack.

* * *

Mario struggled against his bindings, darkness surrounding him. He stared into the black, waiting for his eyes to adjust, when a candle was lit and a faint light illuminated the aged features of an elderly koopa. The koopa was scrawny, just like the rest of the citizens of Koopa Keep. He wore an official looking outfit, decorated in stripes and gleaming medals.

Despite the status the koopa seemingly held, his hunched posture demanded no respect. The koopa held a cane in his right hand, but he moved firmly, albeit slowly. His shell was cracked in at least one discernable place. Mario suspected the koopa a war hero.

The koopa's eyes told the story all too well. They were the most piercing eyes Mario had ever seen. Ironically, only when the koopa glared did he find relief, for the massive, bushy eyebrows cut off his line of sight.

"Who are you to be seeking the Essences, boy?" the koopa hissed.

"A traveler seeking to restore color to Spectra."

"Or so you say. How do I know you aren't thieves, using the Essences as a ploy to raid my abode of valuables?"

"We aren't thieves! We just want to help!" Goombrianne cried.

The koopa pulled out a knife, tossing it from hand to hand. He glared at Goombrianne, eyebrows hunched menacingly. "I don't like liars, girly."

"Listen, all we want is to fix the keep's problems and get the Essence of Color. That's it," Mario said slowly.

The koopa abruptly swung towards Mario who shut his eyes, anticipating pain. When none came, he blinked slowly, finding his bonds cut.

"You've got guts, soldier. What's your name?" The koopa glared at the plumber.

"Mario, sir. You are Captain Koldo, correct?"

"Affirmative. Now then, what makes you think you've got what it takes to set this town free, much less restore color?" Captain Koldo questioned, setting Goombrianne free.

"We've found the Star Brush, sir," said Mario.

Captain Koldo froze before turning slowly to face the plumber. His eyebrows rose, beckoning Mario to continue. "What did you say?"

"The Star Brush. We have it."

"So that old coot found himself a hero…" Koldo muttered under his breath. "Very well. Let's assume I believe you. How you planning on finding the Essence?"

"We heard that you knew everything about the town, and we have reason to believe it's here somewhere," Mario admitted.

"I'm afraid you were mistaken. I know nothing. My ancestors were rather clear that I am to know nothing, understand?" The koopa's eyes gleamed.

Mario caught the look and nodded. "I understand. Suppose you knew where it was, hypothetically. Where might it be?"

"Let's say, hypothetically, that the Essence is located deep underneath the keep. Hypothetically. And let's say that the only entrance to it would be through the bunkers." Captain Koldo's eyes glinted dangerously. "Which would happen to be where our food is stored and which would be, hypothetically, locked and located on the island in the center of the keep's reservoir."

Mario exchanged a glance with Goombrianne. "We hear you."

"Now, the lock would be relatively simple… if the key weren't lost. Hypothetically, of course," Koldo added.

"Of course." Goombrianne and Mario nodded simultaneously.

"And I might have heard that the key was dropped into the reservoir. Of course, getting that key out wouldn't be easy. The water is filled with nibblers," Koldo said, grinning at Mario's chagrined expression. "So even if you _were_ to get the key out, it wouldn't do you any good."

"Of course it wouldn't." Mario stared blankly at the captain, who returned the blank stare. "Hypothetically."

"Of course. But it might be possible to hit a switch to lower the bridge. IF such a switch existed."

"Let's say that the switch exists," Goombrianne said, adding "hypothetically" as an afterthought. "Where would it be located?"

"Where else would a switch to lower a bridge be but in the most inconvenient place?" Koldo asked, grinning. "Assuming such a switch exists."

"That figures," Mario said, groaning. "The island?"

"This is assuming I know where the Essence is, of course. Which I don't," the captain said.

"Thanks for the information, Captain Koldo," Goombrianne said, moving to leave.

"I didn't tell you anything. I simply posed a hypothetical situation," Koldo said authoritatively.

"Yes sir," Mario responded, darting out the office and into the day.

"Good luck, young heroes! You'll need it!" Captain Koldo yelled after them.


End file.
